No fewer than 90 Palestinians were killed in a wave of Israel strikes in Gaza on Tuesday night, the Hamas-run Civil Defence agency and hospitals say.
The Israeli military said it hit “dozens of terror targets and terrorists” in response to Hamas’ violations of the US-brokered cease-fire agreement.
Israel’s defense minister accused Hamas of killing an Israeli soldier in Gaza and violating the criteria for returning the remains of hostages who died. Hamas claimed it had “no connection” to the incident and remained committed to the agreement.
US President Donald Trump insisted that “nothing” would jeopardize the ceasefire but added that Israel should “hit back” if its soldiers were attacked.
Israeli airstrikes targeted residences, schools, and residential blocks in Gaza City and Beit Lahia in the north, Bureij and Nuseirat in the center, and Khan Younis in the south.
Witnesses in Gaza City reported witnessing “pillars of fire and smoke” rising into the sky as explosions jolted multiple residential areas.
According to Civil Defence spokesman Mahmoud Bassal, at least 90 individuals were murdered across the region, including around 30 children.
“Teams are still working tirelessly to reach those trapped beneath collapsed buildings, while hospitals are overwhelmed with the wounded and critically injured amid tragic conditions and a severe lack of medical supplies and fuel,” he warned.
The Civil Defence reported that three ladies and a man were rescued from the wreckage of the al-Banna family’s home in Gaza City’s southern Sabra district.
Five members of the Abu Sharar family were killed in an attack on their home in Block 7 of the urban Bureij refugee camp, according to the report.
According to the agency, another five persons were killed when an aircraft struck a vehicle on a route northwest of Khan Younis.
On Wednesday morning, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said that it had “begun the renewed enforcement of the ceasefire” following a series of attacks on what it characterized as “dozens of terror targets and terrorists,” including at least 30 armed group commanders.
“The IDF will continue to uphold the ceasefire agreement and will respond firmly to any violation of it,” it added.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office issued a brief statement on Tuesday evening stating that he had authorized the IDF to conduct “forceful strikes” on Gaza but did not indicate why.
However, his defense minister stated that Hamas had crossed “a bright red line” by attacking Israeli forces in Gaza on Tuesday.
“Hamas will pay many times over for attacking the soldiers and for violating the agreement to return the fallen hostages,” Israel Katz warned.
The IDF reported Wednesday morning that a reservist soldier, Master Sergeant Yona Efraim Feldbaum, had been murdered.
A military source stated the attack took place near the southern city of Rafah “east of the Yellow Line,” which demarcates the Israeli-controlled area inside Gaza under the truce deal.
According to the source, Sgt. Feldbaum was murdered when one of the trucks of an IDF engineering team demolishing an underground tunnel route in Rafah was hit by fire from “terrorists in the area.”
“A few minutes later, several anti-tank missiles were fired at another armored vehicle belonging to the troops in the area. No injuries were reported,” they added.
Hamas issued a statement denying that its fighters attacked Israeli troops and condemned Israel’s bombings.
“Hamas affirms that it has no connection to the shooting incident in Rafah and affirms its commitment to the ceasefire agreement,” it said.
“The criminal bombardment carried out by the fascist occupation [Israeli] army on areas of the Gaza Strip represents a blatant violation of the ceasefire agreement.”
Meanwhile, the group’s military arm announced that it would postpone the handover of a hostage’s body retrieved on Tuesday owing to what it described as Israeli “violations.”
The US downplayed fears that all-out warfare will resume.
On board Air Force One, Trump informed reporters, “As I understand it, they took out, they killed an Israeli soldier. So the Israelis hit back, and they should hit back.”
“Nothing is going to jeopardize” the ceasefire, he said. “You have to understand Hamas is a very small part of peace in the Middle East, and they have to behave.”
